Discussion Boards

	Topic	Posts	Replies	Last Post
	What's Your ILP? Introduce yourself! And tell us, what's your practice? (If you don't have one, then what's your non-practice?) Why do you do ILP?	16	25	Newbie here. Aug 15, 10:20 PM by Haelan
	Shadow Module ILP has 4 "core modules"—Body, Mind, Spirit, and Shadow —but we're going to put Shadow at top, because it's what we most tend to overlook in ourselves (hence the name "shadow")	3	2	Willow Pearson's on Integral Naked, "Bright and Dark Shadow" Aug 28, 2007, 6:33 PM by Dan
	Mind Module Mind is infinite. However, here we're focusing on how we understand and interpret our experiences, including our beliefs, conceptual maps (e.g., AQAL), and philosophy of life.	2	0	Glow in the dark Condoms Jun 24, 2007, 10:08 PM by Digital Ghost
	Body Module ILP recognizes 3 bodies: gross, subtle, and causal—and we can exercise them all. Nutrition and sleep are also important. We can also explore questions about what it really means to be EMBODIED.	2	2	Question concerning subtle body work Apr 18, 9:21 AM by Sebastian
	Spirit Module God, Spirit, Buddha, or the One shows up in at least 3 perspectives: 1st-person "I," 2nd-person "You," and 3rd-person "It"—and we can practice spiritually in all 3 perspectives.	0	0
	Integral Ethics This is not a "core module" per se, but it's definitely essential, because it deals with fundamental questions about how we live and relate to each other, what's good and evil (or beyond good and evil), and how we respond to injustice and suffering.	1	0	Justice May 17, 2007, 9:41 AM by elementstew
	Experimental Module This could be anything! Let's push our edges into new and uncharted territory. Let's make up new practices. Let's fall on our faces, stand up, and walk on!	7	9	Leou Aeon’s Virtual Studio Aug 6, 10:50 AM by Leou
	What is an Effective ILP? Discussing practices that work—and practices that don't.	2	1	Re: Evaluating Integral Institute's 4 Practices Apr 18, 10:21 AM by Sebastian

Integral Life Practice is an approach to personal & spiritual development created by Integral Institute. It's an attempt to organize the myriad techniques, traditions, methods, and philosophies of self-development into a practical path for the 21st century.

There are 4 “core modules” of practice: Body, Mind, Spirit, and Shadow. There are also any number of “auxiliary modules,” e.g., Sex, Work, Relationships, Parenting, etc. Each module covers a specific dimension or level of life, and the idea is that in each module we can become more conscious, loving, evolved, capable, and healthy.

In the Integral Life Practice Starter Kit and in our workshops, we teach specific practices such as Big Mind Meditation and the 3-2-1 Shadow-Work Process. But a core tenet of ILP is that you can choose whatever practices really work for you—from yoga to art to psychotherapy to running or weightlifting. In fact, a good way to start an ILP is to look at what you're ALREADY doing, and simply try to do it with more consciousness and care.

My intention for this pod is to create a kind of open-source laboratory for practice. I want us to experiment the infinite ways we can engage life more intelligently, and then turn our experiences into shared knowledge.

In open-source software development (e.g., the Firefox browser), everyone has access to the “source code” of the project and can modify it according to their needs. The source code is what the “application” is built on—this is the product that we actually use. People can then create extensions or plug-ins that make the application more useful. Developers also do “bug testing” to identify flaws in the programming, which can then be fixed.

In our case, the source code is Integral Theory (e.g., Ken Wilber's books); the application is Integral Life Practice; and the extensions and plug-ins are our practices. I want to invite you—i.e., my fellow “developers”—to help evolve ILP, by digging into the “source code,” engaging the “application,” experimenting with new “extensions and plug-ins,” and fixing “bugs.”

If you don't totally resonate with the geeky computer metaphor, that's OK. In the end, what's most important is our fundamental relationship to life itself. What I want to explore at a deeper level are questions of how “practice” relates to “life.” WHY meditate? WHY do physical exercise? WHY work on your shadow issues? How does it affect your relationships, your work, and your flow through everyday life?

One important note: it's not required to have purchased the ILP Starter Kit, or to have attended an I-I workshop, in order to participate in this pod. The core framework is pretty simple, and you can probably pick up the essential points just by following the discussion. However, it would definitely help if you're familiar with the basics of Integral Theory—and it would be great if you supported us by picking up a copy of the Kit, attending out one of our workshops, or even joining Integral Naked.